


noted.

by wineandsoju



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, Lee Jeno is Whipped, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Renjun is Dense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 10:31:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20080729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wineandsoju/pseuds/wineandsoju
Summary: Jeno's more excited than Renjun about the notes that the latter gets with his packed lunches.





	noted.

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be a birthday present for [chi](https://twitter.com/forevernoren) but it took me a while to post it. anyway, happy belated birthday, bub!
> 
> thank you to the [cc anon](https://curiouscat.me/renjisung/post/922166410) who sent in the prompt for this fic!
> 
> [carrot](https://twitter.com/hyunjonglovebot) will forever be my most beloved beta-reader.

"Injun! Injun! Injun! What did your dad pack you for lunch today?"

A voice too energetic for anybody's liking resounds through the school's halls on a rainy Wednesday morning. Students in the hallway roam around mindlessly, feeling the drab weather outside. It being midweek, and people being swamped with tasks left and right, nobody was in the mood, save for the blonde boy running through the crowd, strides wide and swift, eyes focused with an urgent purpose.

"Jeno, I haven't even had breakfast yet and you're already asking me about lunch." 

For everybody else, it would have been hard to spot the brunette. Plain clothes, a soft voice, eyes usually glued to the floor –– someone who isn't really begging for attention. For Jeno, however, it was effortless. It's like muscle memory, the way his eyes automatically fix themselves on the tiny figure all but hiding behind a locker door.

Jeno has had a fair advantage over most of the people around him, though, almost thirteen years of it. The way he's memorized every little bit of the boy's physique isn't for nothing. The way he has engraved in his mind his friend's mannerisms––the way he picks at his nail beds when he's nervous, the way his right eye squints a little when he smiles, ah, that little crooked smile he does when he's excited about something, Jeno knows that well too––is something he owes to fate, he thinks, but that's a story better told later.

"What do you mean you haven't had breakfast yet?" He tries to catch his breath, but it escapes him as soon as his eyes meet the other's. Renjun's eyes hold a world of their own, and Jeno keeps getting lost in it.

"You say that as if you weren't in my house just a few hours ago." The taller of the two drops the books he took from his friend's hands and rushes to pick them up. He's not hiding the blush that formed in his cheeks and is slowly creeping up to his ears. Not really. 

"I was just checking if you wanted to go to school together," he quickly thinks of an excuse.

"You don't have to explain, not like you do it everyday, eh?" Renjun smirks and leans on the locker. He watches his friend trying to balance the books, his own and Renjun's as well, in his arms and smiles at the thought of how he's lucky to have someone like Jeno in his life.

"So, since you didn't have breakfast and all, maybe you can just dig into your packed meal? I'll buy you something from the cafeteria, I promise. Heard they were serving fried chicken today, too."

"Ugh," the shorter of the two rolls his eyes. He already knows where this conversation is going. "You're way too invested in my lunch, you know?" 

Renjun still thinks it’s odd how Jeno found a sudden interest in his packed lunches. They’re not out of the ordinary, just some run-off-the-mill sandwiches, rice boxes, or salads. 

That’s not why the blonde boy is excited, though.

For the past few weeks, Renjun has been surprised with notes, a few words haphazardly scribbled onto whatever piece of paper that’s been lying around in their house. It’s precious, the brunette thinks, how his dad, or younger brother, whoever the culprit may be, finds time to leave him some kind of encouragement for any random day of the week.

I.

“_ Hope this tonkatsu will help catch you some good vibes for that quiz you’ve been losing sleep on! _”

The first note came on a Monday.

x-x-x-x-x

Renjun spent the weekend cooped up in the study hub a few blocks away from their house. He’s never had a problem revising for their Literature class, but this time they’ve been discussing Greek Mythology and he can’t catch up with how many things have been happening with the Olympus gods.

On Saturday night, he was almost ready to burn his books and just take the fall. He’d already gathered enough As on their previous topics anyway. This would barely make a dent on his final grade.

The other students in the room raised their heads, distracted from the sudden groan they heard from his nook. Their eyes followed him as he practically threw his things into his backpack; they cringed as he pulls out his chair with a deafening screech as its feet scrapes on the linoleum floor.

“Sorry,” someone whispers an apology from beside him.

Jeno silently rises from his own cubbie and grabs his wrist, no words spoken between them.

The darkness of the night told them how laborious the day had been for the both of them, as they had first entered the building when it was still bright outside.

“What’s wrong?” The words that Jeno uttered came out guarded, as if they would have cracked the thin shell left of his friend’s sanity.

“I just want to sleep.” Dark circles forming beneath his eyes accentuated his agony. “But I also don’t want to fail.”

“It’s okay,” his friend reassures him. “I’ll help you.”

The hand that was lingering on his wrist tightened its grip, pulling him back towards the building, but he didn’t have the will nor the energy to go back inside. He felt the way the other’s breath heaves, heard the way the gravel on the ground crunches as his friend switches the way his feet was going. 

His shoulders felt lighter the same way his heart did when Jeno pulled his backpack away from him, and he couldn’t voice any protest as he was led away from the study hub.

“We’re having dinner, and you’re staying over at my place. We’ll get through this together.”

The blonde boy placed a tray of burgers and fries on the table between them.

Someone would think they were going through a life-threatening situation, which Renjun felt they were, but the sentiment died as soon as he sat down on the uncomfortable seat below him.

“Get. Off. Me.”

Come Sunday morning, Renjun had a different kind of struggle altogether as he was trying to untangle his limbs from Jeno’s.

“Five more minutes.” 

The other whined and wouldn’t budge, making it almost impossible for the smaller boy to detach himself from him. He snuck a peek at his friend whose neck was barely an inch away from his lips, and slowly let out the breath he’d been holding.

“Ow!”

Jeno thought his clinginess wouldn’t warrant him getting pushed off the couch, but he was mistaken.

“Okay,” Renjun said with conviction, “let’s get this bread.”

“What do you mean? You haven’t even slept for more than 30 minutes.” 

The boy who’s seated on the floor protested, but his friend was already gathering the notes strewn out near him, highlighters brandished like weapons. He would have told him to take a longer nap, that studying with such little sleep would be counterproductive, if it weren’t for the head suddenly resting on his shoulder stealing his thoughts.

x-x-x-x-x

“That’s so sweet,” Jeno says after Renjun read the note out loud. “Whoever wrote that clearly cares a lot about your well-being.”

“Of course they do,” the older’s tone comes out soft and endearing, “they’re family, after all.”

He doesn’t catch the confused look plastered on the younger’s face as he digs into his meal.

II.

_ “I know the strawberries will make you merry and smiley. I love it when you smile, do it more often. _”

It’s a sunny Friday afternoon, and Renjun’s downcast appearance looks out of place on the bleachers. Everyone around him seems to be in high spirits: the cheerleaders practicing their routine in the field, the small group of juniors playing futsal a few meters away from them, even the stoners that usually convene below the bleachers are engaged in a zealous discussion about the latest conspiracy theories they’ve watched on Youtube. Normally Renjun would join the discussion, but today he’s just a little bit preoccupied. He feels how contrasting his demeanor is with the rest of the pupils around him, especially when he watches his friend running towards him, the brightest smile plastered on his face.

He reads the note again, and thinks about how it’s the same thing Jaemin would have told him, back when they were still together. That wasn’t long ago, though, and Renjun has collected nothing but good memories with him. He can’t help but get sad that they weren’t able to make things work between them. Jaemin’s going abroad, after all, and they both thought they wouldn’t want to spend their youth in a long distance relationship.

“Thanks,” he whispers to no one in particular, a small smile escaping his otherwise troubled features.

“You smiled!” Jeno comes off a little bit too excited, to his own detriment.

Renjun frowns at the fruit pack settled on his lap. He picks at the strawberries, watching them bleed all over the different fruit bits in the little plastic container.

“He hated strawberries,” he says, frown getting deeper, “it’s been a while since I’ve last had them.”

Jeno holds his hand out, gesturing for his friend to hand over the small fork. He sticks it on several strawberry pieces at once and motions Renjun to open up.

“I still don’t understand why you had to stop eating them, not like it was going to kill him if you did.”

"He just didn't like them, I guess. Something about someone torturing him with strawberry milk in middle school," he says before opening his mouth for another bite of the fruit.

"But still," Jeno pouts, "He shouldn't have banned it from you. He knew how much you loved it."

Renjun tries not to make it obvious that the conversation is making him think of his ex again, and that it's making him sad. However, when he subtly rubs his eyes to keep his tears in, Jeno figures it out and doesn't want to press the matter further.

"It doesn't matter anyway, now that we've broken up," Renjun speaks after reeling his emotions in. "Besides, I liked it when you showed up at my house in the middle of the night just to feed me contraband strawberries. It was our little thing, you know?"

The blonde's cheeks flare up, turning a shade of red the same color as the fruit he’s sticking the fork into. He watches his friend munching on the snack, and his heart flips at the thought of being able to experience something like this—something that’s theirs alone.

"Yeah… but what I'm saying is, we didn't have to be all sneaky about it. I mean, what was he going to do if he found out? Break––"

“Strawberries meant no kisses, Jeno,” Renjun doesn't let him finish his sentence. Maybe if he hears it from somebody else, it would be too real, and he doesn't know what could happen. It's too soon, he thinks. Tears sting Renjun’s eyes the same moment they send daggers to Jeno’s chest.

Seeing how his friend is doing his best to keep his feelings afloat, the taller stands from the bleachers and reaches his hand out. The other doesn’t hesitate to take it.

“I’ll give you all the kisses you want,” Jeno chides. Humor is the best way to deal with pain, isn't it?

“Don’t joke about that,” Renjun mutters. He throws the plastic container in the rubbish bin with gusto, as if he’s throwing his feelings with it, “I just got out of a relationship.”

Jeno has never been more honest in his life.

III. 

_ "Your art is meant to be shared with the world, just as these cookies were made to be shared with a friend." _

Saturdays in school are usually reserved for athletes and students who are falling behind in classes. They weren't liked that much. Only a few people wanted to spend half of their weekend on school grounds.

Today was an exception, however. 

Students’ gleeful tittle-tattle spreads through the campus air. Each and every student has something to be excited about. Different classes have their own booths to busy themselves with. Some have opted to perform (Donghyuck's class is doing a play in the afternoon), others have delved into practical arts (there's an art exhibit at the high school building's lobby), and most have chosen to be economical and put up booths to sell most things that can be commercialized. Renjun and Jeno's class have settled on combining the last two –– they're having an art cafe.

It was the younger's idea to have them serve coffee and sugary treats. He volunteered his uncle's espresso machine, the same way he volunteered his friend's artwork to be posted on the classroom's otherwise plain walls. _ "It would make the cafe more instagrammable," _ he said when he sensed that Renjun was about to protest. _ "Think about the profit we could make!" _From that point, everything had been set into stone.

It took the class several weeks to plan everything out. A couple of weeks for Jeno to convince his friend that his work isn't bad at all, that it's the best he's seen, and that it would awe not only their class but also the rest of the school, and even more. So, for the last week leading to this one, he helped gather Renjun's most prized paintings and sketches, ones he's confident people would like, and readied them to be put on display.

By lunchtime, all of the artist's worries have died down after he had received compliments about his _ masterpieces _left and right. His friend was right, people did like his art, and he couldn't thank him enough for making him realize it.

"Wow they still packed you lunch even when our class is running a food stand?" the blonde peeks inside the paper bag his friend placed on one of the cafe tables and reaches for a cookie.

"It's an _ art cafe _, Jeno. Get your facts straight." The brunette would pinch the hand that stole his snack, but he knows his brother would have wanted him to share it. "And I don't understand how my family's minds work sometimes."

"So what does it say this time?" 

There's no stalling from his friend today, unlike the other days he tried to search for a certain piece of paper tucked inside the bag. Before, he would pretend to be more fascinated in the food within it and deny that he was looking for the note. Today, though, the festival's atmosphere might have stirred something in him to make him more direct.

"There's no note. I already checked. Several times," Renjun chuckles and shoves a cookie towards Jeno's lips. "Just enjoy the sweets."

He aims to give him another, but the younger's distracted by something on the floor. He watches curiously as he picks it up and hands it to him.

"Oh," his lips are formed like the sound he lets out.

"See? They didn't forget this time." 

Renjun doesn't make it known that he's sure the piece of paper he's just been handed is one torn from the sketchbook he had just bought from the school bookstore this morning.

IV.

_ "What did I say? You're a 10/10 not only in my book, but in the class rankings as well! Congratulations, bub! You deserve it." _

Finals results were posted on a Tuesday.

Renjun's stress levels were at their prime for the previous week. There were too many historical dates to remember, too many stories to read, too much grammar to perfect, and too many formulas to understand. He would have bet his month's allowance that he would go bald by the end of finals week, but he couldn't stand being a failure and being broke at the same time.

All his concerns were for naught, however. Once he sees his name written beside the number ten spot on the bulletin board, he lets out a sigh of relief. He feels a pat on his back before an arm snakes to his waist. 

"Top 10! I'm so proud of you!" 

He knows his friend would have applauded if both of his hands were free.

"I'm proud of you too," he says, "top 3! As expected from _ the _Jeno Lee."

"This calls for a celebration. Arcade later?"

"Of course! Now let's go eat the cake my dad packed me today..."

He brings the confectionary out and hands his friend a plastic fork. They dig in as they finalize their plans for when school ends that day.

"Oh, your brother says congratulations!"

Jeno waves a note in front of him. Apparently, he saw it stuck under the tupperware. He takes it and beams at how everything's looking up for him today.

x-x-x-x-x

"Yo," a deep voice greets the two when they enter the arcade. 

"Oh, hey, Jisung," the blonde greets back.

He shouldn't be surprised that he's there. It's their tradition, after all. Jeno, Renjun, and the latter's younger brother Jisung. They have always gone to the arcade after hell week's over. The elders' schedules haven't matched with the youngest's ever since they entered high school, but traditions should be kept, and it wouldn't be the same without him.

"Hey, maknae," Jisung calls out to his brother. He's always asserting dominance, the little brat. Renjun would have smacked him right then and there, but he stretches his hand out and takes the older's backpack from him.

Perhaps the older brother doesn't mind when the youngest pampers him sometimes.

The three pool up their cash and load up the game card they're sharing for the afternoon. It's more than enough for them to play for at least a couple of hours. They've been meaning to check out the newest 4D addition. It's a multi-player FPS, so it's their best bet for the day's celebration.

After deciding that they've had enough of the shooting game, they venture out the booth and start looking for different things to busy themselves with.

"Renjun hyung," Jisung says after a round of air hockey. "I'm hungry."

"Okay, so?"

The tall boy purses his lips in annoyance. Jeno just chuckles at the familiar scene.

"Fine," the older rolls his eyes. "I'll buy you something."

As soon as he's out of earshot, Jisung pulls Jeno closer to him and whispers, "So, how long am I going to have to pretend that I care about my brother that much to actually leave him notes in his lunch?"

The other chokes on air, but he gathers his senses and pinches the younger.

"Shut up, you little brat," he says through gritted teeth, "you know you would have done it too."

"Not really, no," the taller of the two shrugs. "I mean, I _ do _love my brother, but sleep is precious to a growing boy like me. I wouldn't trade extra hours of sleep to wake up that early just to bake my brother cookies and write him silly little notes."

"Hey!" Jeno says louder this time. "My notes aren't silly!"

"'I know strawberries would make you merry,'" the tone is mocking him. "How corny could you get?"

"Jeno?" a soft voice pierces through their conversation. "_ You _were giving me those notes?"

"Renjun wait––"

Jeno's words aren't heard as the small boy runs outside the building.

"Shit. Sorry, hyung," Jisung bids him goodbye as he runs after his brother.

x-x-x-x-x

_ "I'm sorry." _

It's the tenth time Jeno's sent the same text, left unread by his friend. He tosses and turns in his bed that night, sleep far away from his grasp.

V.

_ "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have kept secrets from you. I know this cupcake won't help that much. So… ice cream later?" _

It's the first time Renjun has received a second note within the same week.

He never imagined he would be sulking inside the classroom on a Thursday. As much as he prefers not being in a crowded place during lunch, that doesn't mean that he likes eating his meals alone, especially not when his friend isn't there with him.

It's his fault, really. He did say he needed space, that he needed some time to himself to think things through.

What's there to think about, though? He already knows everything. He had some version of the truth embedded in his mind after the school festival, and a much more solid understanding formed in this brain just a couple of days ago, and what did he do? He lashed out on his friend who was just trying to make him feel better about himself.

The moment he ran out of the arcade, he already knew he was being unreasonable. He could have spared his friend a few minutes to let him explain. Even Jisung, who rarely has something nice to say about Jeno –– he loves him, really. He's just not loud about his affection –– begged him to just listen to the boy. He means well, the younger said. Renjun knows his best friend only thinks about what's best for the older.

Renjun already knows all of this, but he didn't understand what he was feeling the night before. He doesn't even comprehend what he's feeling right now. That's how his stubborn self copes with it, he rationalizes. It would be too difficult to discern his own feelings from the other's until he's made it clear to his own self.

He lets out a bitter laugh as he tastes the salt of his stupid tears mix with the sweet buttercream on his cupcake.

It's been years since he and Jeno fought. For the thirteen or so years they've been friends, they seldom had anything to argue about. This time, it isn't a fight _ per se. _It's just Renjun being caught up in his own sensibilities.

The last time they actually did fight was a doozy.

Renjun doesn't even remember what it was about. All he knows is that it lasted longer than he would have wanted, about a week, and he remembers how miserable he felt without Jeno's usual 'good morning' texts, or his puppy smile that always seems to brighten his days, or the small notes he would give him even back in kindergarten when he said that it would be the way he'd confess to his first lo––

_ OHMYGOD _

He scampers away from his desk, cupcake still in hand, and makes his way to the courtyard. He doesn't make it that far since someone stops him before he has the chance to go through the campus' side exit. The hand that's now holding his feels sticky, but he doesn't pull away from it.

"Ice cream," he hears how apologetic the person sounds. "I'm sorry."

The cupcake in his other hand is replaced with something a wee bit colder, and a little more damp.

"I'm sorry too," he can't help but be embarrassed with the way he acted.

"Hey, why does this cupcake taste salty?"

He laughs it off and tells his friend he'll tell him one day, but not right now.

Maybe they don't let go of each other's hands as they make their way back to the classroom.

VI.

_ "It's that season again! Remember the three S's: summer, sand, and sun. You know you shine as bright as the sun, right? I'd like to spend the summer with you." _

The final note doesn't come with his usual packed lunch. 

It's summer vacation, after all. School's already out and there's no more opportunities left for anyone to slip him a note through it. Somehow, that doesn't hinder his friend from completing what he sought to do.

The doorbell rings at 9AM on the first day of Renjun's school holiday. He already expected it would, already knew what would greet him once he opens the door. So, he takes his time in front of the hallway mirror, fixing his hair and making sure that he looks decent.

"I'm coming!" he shouts when he hears the bell ring for the third time. 

Okay.

He wasn't expecting this _ at all. _

Because a pot is suddenly shoved into his hands as soon as he opens the door, and now a tiny envelope is being waved in front of his face, but he's already too preoccupied to take it, let alone open it and see what's inside.

"Jeno," he breathes out, "one at a time, _ please. _"

"I––" the boy stutters, "I don't know how to start." He stares at his shoes, then at the note that's still in his hand. 

To be fair, things didn't go exactly as he planned months ago. He was supposed to have gotten everything over and done with at the arcade, but the whole fiasco happened, and this isn't how he imagined his whole strategy would end.

"First," the boy who's precisely the reason why his nerves are in shambles helps. "Thank you for the sunflower. _ Really. _ A sunflower? That's _ perfect. _"

Maybe that makes Jeno feel a tiny bit at ease.

"Now, the note, please?" Renjun, at this point, has placed the plant somewhere on the porch floor. 

"Wait," the younger stops him from taking the envelope, "I– I want to read it out loud."

The lilt in his voice betrays his attempt at being brave, but he pushes through despite the obvious blood rush creeping up onto his cheeks and ears.

"It's… that… season––" he tried, but it would have taken him ages to finish reading. So, he just hands the note over and covers his face. _ Please, _ he pleads in his mind, _ I'm going to cry _. The words don't come out, but a whine does escape his throat.

"You're too sweet. _ This _ is so sweet. I _ love _it!" 

Jeno peeks through his fingers, unsure of what his friend's words meant. But the blinding smile that greets him gives him hope, and the hand that pulls one of his own away from his face gives him even _ more. _

"I like you," he finally manages to say. It comes out a bit rushed, but he doesn't mean it any less.

"I know," Renjun says matter-of-factly.

x-x-x-x-x

Jeno doesn't understand what happened. He was almost certain he messed up, or at least that his friend doesn't feel the same. That's what it meant, right? 

_ "I know." _

He keeps replaying the words over and over in his head. 

_ He knows. _

So what are they doing at the beach now? He wants to know why there's a picnic basket laid in front of them. He's dying to know why his friend (_ Can he even call him that? _) has been fidgety ever since their feet touched the sand. Most of all, he's confused as to why Renjun's hand has never let go of his ever since he took it this morning.

"Lunch."

It wasn't the explanation he was waiting for, but it is what it is.

"Jeno?"

He snaps out of his trance as his friend hands him the basket.

"Open it," Renjun's request is quiet, but Jeno hears him anyway.

The boy's hand trembles, still not knowing what to expect. _ Relax, Jeno, _ he tells himself. _ It's just lunch. There's no way he could break your heart even more. _He frowns. Conversing with himself doesn't really help that much at times like this.

A summer breeze drifts by, and he could feel how his friend stiffens beside him.

"Renjun? What's wrong?" he's asked the same question a million times before, but he's never been more nervous to hear the answer.

"I––" the other bites on his nails while searching for the next words to say. "_ Oh my god _, how did you even do this?"

If Jeno was confused before, he doesn't know what he feels now that his friend is pulling the basket from him. Next thing he sees is the brunette nervously rifling through its contents, and then eventually, a small piece of paper is thrown on his lap.

"What's this?"

"Just… just read it. _ Please. _" 

It's Renjun's turn to bury his face in his palms now, and Jeno all but slaps himself to control the urge to just reach out and pinch his friend's cheeks. But there's a more pressing matter he has to attend to first.

_ "Hey, idiot," _ he reads aloud, _ "I like you too. Be my––" _

"YES!" Jeno shouts. He doesn't need to read the rest of the note because the answer will always be the same.

_ Yes. Yes! A thousand times, yes. _

  


_"Hey, idiot. I like you too. Be my boyfriend?"_

  


**Author's Note:**

> you can catch me on [twt](https://twitter.com/tsunderensung) and [cc](https://curiouscat.me/renjisung)
> 
> thank you for reading!


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